On the coast of the city of Aktau, dead Caspian seals have been found again. Specialists are counting the animals, surveying the coastline, and testing seawater samples. The causes of the animals' deaths have not yet been determined.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to data from the Department of Ecology of the Mangystau Region, information about the dead seals was received on 3 July. Subsequently, specialists travelled to the site where the animals' carcasses were discovered on the beaches of Aktau.
At present, the counting and recording of their exact number continues. At the same time, ecologists took seawater samples in the area where the animals were found. Additional information is promised once laboratory tests are completed.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CAUSES OF DEATH
The Department of Ecology reported that specialists are conducting studies of the seawater samples. As of now, no official causes of the animals' deaths have been given.
CONTEXT
The Caspian seal is the only marine mammal in the Caspian Sea and is listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.
According to the International News Agency "Kazinform", citing the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, 3,433 dead Caspian seals were recorded on the coast of the Mangystau Region between 2022 and 2025. The institute's research showed that the mass mortality of the animals is multifactorial and may be linked to hydrometeorological conditions, anthropogenic impact, diseases, and environmental pollution, including elevated levels of petroleum products in the water.
Incidentally, some ecologists and residents of the region link certain instances of mass seal deaths to the activities of oil-producing companies, including the international consortium North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC).
In April 2026, in the Tupkaragan District of the Mangystau Region, specialists discovered 97 dead seals. It was preliminarily established that the animals had died more than a month before their discovery, and their carcasses were washed ashore by the western storm wind.
